Congress is now in summer recess, but temperatures are still
cooling from the flurry of activity during the final days of
July.

In the period of just a week, the Senate moved the VA-HUD-IA
Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2158) from subcommittee markup to passage
on the Senate floor -- a record. The Senate bill provides $13.5
billion for NASA in 1998, the amount requested by the
Administration and $200 million less than current spending.

Senator Bond (R-MO), chairman of the Appropriations VA-HUD-IA
Subcommittee, praised NASA's Pathfinder mission and pledged to work
with the space agency to allow flexibility while controlling costs.
Senator Mikulski (D-MD), the subcommittee's ranking member, said
the VA-HUD-IA bill is an "excellent start." In a floor speech, she
praised the Sojourner rover, Mission to Planet Earth, and the
Hubble Space Telescope.

Senator Glenn (D-OH) gave a detailed speech in support of the
International Space Station that highlighted the opportunities for
microgravity research. He discussed the value of putting older
astronauts in space to determine how they respond to a weightless
environment. And he said it was an "insult" to require NASA to
certify that the Mir space station was safe. Glenn, a former
astronaut, stated that NASA always holds as its highest priority
the safety of astronauts and it would never have placed men and
women aboard Mir unless it was fully confident the facility was
safe.

The only space amendment offered to the VA-HUD-IA bill was a
measure by Senator Dale Bumpers (D-AR) to kill the International
Space Station. Bumpers acknowledged in his opening remarks that he
has repeatedly failed to garner enough votes to pass his
legislation. Still, he said the amendment was "something I strongly
believe in."

Bumpers said he supported the Mars Pathfinder mission. It is
what "NASA should be doing." However, the Arkansas senator said "we
do not need a manned mission to Mars."

Bumpers quoted an array of scientists who oppose the space
station. He discussed the findings from a new GAO report that
criticize Boeing for continuing cost overruns. Bumpers attacked
NASA for miscalculating the number of EVA hours that will be
required to assemble the station. And he said research aboard the
orbiting laboratory is "going to get you nothing." "I'll eat my
hat," he said, "if it will cure anything."

Mikulski defended the station, urging her Senate colleagues to
"stay the course." Bond called the station a "world class research
laboratory." Senator Burns (R-MT) said America should "dare to
dream" and "dare to do it [build the station]." Senator Hutchison
(R-TX), Senator Bennett (R-UT), and Senator Gramm (R-TX) also gave
speeches in defense of the space station.

The Bumpers amendment was defeated by a vote of 69 to 31, the
largest margin since Bumpers first offered legislation to torpedo
the station. Last year's vote was 60 to 37.

September Schedule: Appropriations

When Congress returns from recess, House and Senate conferees
will meet to reconcile their versions into a final VA-HUD-IA bill.
These are the current differences between the two bills: the Senate
would provide funding equal to the amount of the President's
request, while the House would give $148 million above the request.
In addition, the House report would give the NASA Administrator
transfer authority to reallocate up to $150 million from NASA's
Science, Aeronautics and Technology, and Mission Support, accounts
to the space station program "if necessary to keep the space
station program on schedule." The Senate report makes no mention of
this transfer authority, although it does permit reallocation of
some current year funding. If the House language is not
specifically reversed in the conference report, it will remain in
effect.

September Schedule: Commercial Space Act

The Commercial Space Act for 1997, H.R. 1702, is expected to
come to the floor for full House vote in mid-September. Discussions
are still taking place with the Senate as to whether they will
introduce a separate bill or incorporate language from H.R. 1702
into the Senate Authorization Bill that is currently being drafted.
"Word on the Hill" is that there is the best chance in many years
for the Senate to actually pass an Authorization bill for NASA,
which has not happened since the early '90s.

About the "NSS Capital Capsule"
The Capsule is a timely report of highlights from Capitol Hill
hearings and other events involving space issues. Prepared by NSS
staff or volunteers who attend in person, the Capsule provides NSS
members and activists an "insider's" look into the thoughts of our
national elected officials on space issues.

The National Space Society is an independent space advocacy
group headquartered in Washington, DC. Its 25,000 members and 95
chapters support the creation of a spacefaring civilization. For
more information on the NSS and our future in space, visit
http://www.nss.org/.